Coins thrown at Le Saux at Stamford Bridge tie

In the wake of the Jamie Carragher coin-throwing incident during Liverpool's FA Cup defeat to Arsenal at Highbury on Sunday, Chelsea's Graeme Le Saux said yesterday that he had been pelted with coins during Saturday's FA Cup tie with West Ham at Stamford Bridge and that "vicious" behaviour by supporters was commonplace.

"Coin-throwing happens quite a lot more than it's actually reported," the England defender said. "On Saturday I picked up a coin and gave it to the referee rather than let it lie on the ground. I was vilified by the West Ham fans for doing that, as if I was telling tales. But if someone throws a coin, it's up to everyone, including the supporters, to make sure it doesn't happen again."

Carragher will have to wait for the outcome of a police investigation into Sunday's incident before discovering whether he will face a Football Association misconduct charge.

The England defender was one of three players sent off during the game, his offence being to throw a coin back into crowd after it had been thrown at him. Carragher issued an apology but will automatically receive a three-match ban for violent behaviour, a punishment that could be doubled if the FA charges him.

Le Saux added that the behaviour of some supporters, especially verbal abuse, was "absolutely disgusting", adding: "there are some vicious people out there. I've got two children, and if I had nothing to do with football, I'd think twice [about going] because of the animosity, verging on hatred, that you sometimes find."

The Metropolitan Police have received no complaints about the Carragher incident, and are studying Highbury's closed-circuit television footage to identity the culprit. Arsenal have said they will ban for life anyone proved to be responsible.